# So my Congressman called me today about SCHIP...



## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

I had written him before the vote urging him to vote no and explaining my opposition to the tobacco tax increases. He's a GOP-er, so I figured he might be opposed to the measure anyway. Nope! Voted for it!

So I wake up this morning with a message on my answering machine from the guy, telling me he received my e-mail and shared my concerns about the tobacco tax, and that's part of why he opposed it, thanks for letting him know, and call him anytime.

Whoa, what do you MEAN you opposed it? You maybe protested or raised a 30-second stink in some committee about the tax increases, but then went on to vote for it anyway?

Let me Google the voting results for this bill again. Yes, there your name is, sir, in the "Yea" column for SCHIP. As there was no real debate on the tobacco provisions, I wonder if you were honestly trying to express your frustration at the tax increase to me, but couldn't get over the fact that you wanted the bill overall and so voted for it, or if you were simply lying to me outright. Either way, I'm disappointed, and I'll remember this goofy bait-and-switch in 2010!


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## d_day (Aug 24, 2008)

Hey, at least you got a call. I've never so much as even had a form letter repsonse from any politician.


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

d_day said:


> Hey, at least you got a call. I've never so much as even had a form letter repsonse from any politician.


This is true. My first reaction was one of "Well, at least you can still get ahold of your Congressman in this country!"

He told me he voted for a version of the bill with lower taxes and he agreed with the assessment I copy-pasted from CRA into my email describing the adverse affects on the industry. Sounded like he actually read it...nice guy. However, he still DID vote for the bill as it was passed, so who knows what the real story is. I do appreciate the call.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Democracy in action,,,we vote them in on the platform they are working for us and they get there and it's like a huge buffet for them. What will they eat next? I saw on TV that they wanted to vote themselves another raise because the poor 'boobies' have to buy another house so they don't have to travel as much from their home state to Washington DC. Sure, why not? Everybody but is gets a bailout and a raise. I can hardly wait til everybody runs out of money and then we'll see who runs the country!


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## Blindjimme (Feb 13, 2009)

I emailed Senators Boxer and Feinstein ( of CA ) last year and shared
with them how I felt about SCHIP or any other tax that singles out one group of Americans. Made it perfectly yet politely clear how I felt. I actually heard back from both of them. Thanking me for my participation
in the Democratic system. I've been calling them The Stepford Senators ever since. They are clueless to the will of the people they represent.

JB


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## strider72 (Jan 25, 2009)

Most politicians are clueless to the real world. During the last election... anytime one of the main suspects.. I mean candidates, talked about lowering gas prices... when was the last time they pumped their own gas?


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## KickU2Sleep (Feb 20, 2009)

Wonder how many of em voted for the tax and are, themselves, cigar smokers. guess if you make the kinda money they make a few more dollars don't matter. I onlt hope they loosen up on the embargo from ISOM, and the flood of ISOM cigars force the prices down...Course they'll just increase the taxes...:spank:<-----To all politicians


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## Zarathustra19 (Dec 20, 2007)

So now politicians are calling people to personally lie to them? Wow, thats a big step forward. Maybe instead of mass lies we'll get personalized ones. 

Lets just hope that the next step will be mass truths! ha ha, probably not. :mad2:


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## Frinkiac7 (Dec 12, 2008)

KickU2Sleep said:


> Wonder how many of em voted for the tax and are, themselves, cigar smokers. guess if you make the kinda money they make a few more dollars don't matter. I onlt hope they loosen up on the embargo from ISOM, and the flood of ISOM cigars force the prices down...Course they'll just increase the taxes...:spank:<-----To all politicians


There's some Florida congressman who smokes cigars, who made a big deal about SCHIP, got the Padrons and other manufacturers meetings with Congress, and did a lot of work to try and get the cigar industry heard on the bill.

Then, he ends up voting for SCHIP, because "children's health care is too important an initiative not to vote for." All politicians are just hacks.


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## strider72 (Jan 25, 2009)

i can tell you what we need to do "for the children" but it may be called "revolutionary", "rebellious", but it may secede... I mean succeed.


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## jmimac351 (Jul 5, 2009)

Frinkiac7 said:


> There's some Florida congressman who smokes cigars, who made a big deal about SCHIP, got the Padrons and other manufacturers meetings with Congress, and did a lot of work to try and get the cigar industry heard on the bill.
> 
> Then, he ends up voting for SCHIP, because "children's health care is too important an initiative not to vote for." All politicians are just hacks.


Just FYI... The politician you're talking about is Congressman Kendrick Meek from Miami and he was / is supported by Corona Cigar in Orlando for his run for one of Florida's soon to be open Senate seats. He's a liberal Democrat. The owner of Coronas thinks it's a good idea to support him because they think he helped prevent cigars taxes from being worse. He's a Democrat, raising taxes is what they do and it's just a matter of time before they go up again. I no longer do business with Corona Cigar Company because of their continued support for him.


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## Mortanis (Jul 12, 2009)

The last time I contacted my State Senators, back in March, about a pending bill, I got an email from a secretary stating that the bill I was giving feedback on had been referred to a committee months earlier and was ignored until the deadline had passed.

I'd be hard pressed to find anything I cared about, legal wise, that hadn't been voted against, ignored, or bickered about until the deadline slipped by. I have no idea how these people can claim to represent anyone when general opinion seems to be a complete 180 from what they actually put their names to.

Can someone link me to the vote list on this one?


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## jmimac351 (Jul 5, 2009)

Mortanis said:


> The last time I contacted my State Senators, back in March, about a pending bill, I got an email from a secretary stating that the bill I was giving feedback on had been referred to a committee months earlier and was ignored until the deadline had passed.
> 
> I'd be hard pressed to find anything I cared about, legal wise, that hadn't been voted against, ignored, or bickered about until the deadline slipped by. I have no idea how these people can claim to represent anyone when general opinion seems to be a complete 180 from what they actually put their names to.
> 
> Can someone link me to the vote list on this one?


govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2


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## Mortanis (Jul 12, 2009)

jmimac351 said:


> govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2


"Yea" across the board. Thanks for the link.


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## orca99usa (May 23, 2008)

> I no longer do business with Corona Cigar Company because of their continued support for him.


You quit buying from them because they support someone who helps their industry? Curious choice.


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## jmimac351 (Jul 5, 2009)

orca99usa said:


> You quit buying from them because they support someone who helps their industry? Curious choice.


It was more than that. I quit buying from them because they support someone who's advocating policies harmful to our country. The country is more important than cigars. The threats we are faced with right now are a lot bigger than cigar taxes and the candidate Corona Cigar supported advocates policies that will do a lot more damage with respect to those issues. Their support for him was very shortsighted and I told the owner exactly that. They are attempting to gain favor with someone who fundamentally supports higher taxes. It seems to me, electing someone who supports higher taxes is a bad way to get lower taxes. It's just a matter of time before Meek will throw Coronas to the curb.

Besides, I've found a better local option with much better prices and a more personal service approach.


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